The Millennial Dialogue: Jessica Lu
April 16, 2018
Disclosure from Della: I have done work for Genome BC since the early start up days in 2001 and I am a big fan. Their vision is to see genome sciences revolutionize many aspects of our lives while providing solutions to humankind’s challenges. And, they have a strong social and ethical component to their work. I interviewed Jessica on her birthday!
Do you describe yourself as a millennial? What does millennial mean to you?
Aside from the context of being born within the age range, Jessica also recognizes she has many traits of a millennial. She is adept at technology and readily adopts new ideas. She does not want to settle for "okayness" and does not see that as a feeling of entitlement as she is prepared to work hard for success. And, she does not expect anything to be handed to her. She does not own much and subscribes to the sharing economy.
What are the challenges to good communication between generations?
I had heard about confirmation bias but not unconscious bias. She explained it as the impressions we immediately get when someone says they are with a certain profession such as a software engineer and the unconscious image we get in our heads. Hmmm, something to watch out for.
What do you think older generations don't understand about younger generations? What stereotypes do you not like and why?
Jessica feels older generations might not value opinions of people who have less experience. While they may have had more time doing something it does not mean that less experience means less value. She expressed the need to be aware of automatic assumptions versus valuing ideas put forward from those less experienced.
Where do you get your news?
Jessica's list is long. Online sources, iPhone newsfeed, Twitter, FB news (which she takes with a grain of salt - and we did this interview well before the FB implosion), Reddit because it is vetted by peers, social media links and for a longer read, the New York Times. She sometimes checks the newspaper in the office kitchen but often has already read the news from her online sources.
What communication tools/environments do you find most effective at work?
Email is the preferred mode in her office. The younger employees like Slack but her older colleagues have not embraced it...yet. They do not see it as any different than email.
She values face to face but wants it to be relevant and the few times she has attended webinars, she did not feel engaged.
What are the things organizations do well or could do better when it comes to communicating with you?
Jessica felt the last few elections could do a better job of relating to the issues a younger demographic care about. She understands why taxes are important but finds it very political. She questions what it really means when there is a tax issue and talked about the recent failed transit referendum in the Lower Mainland. Her point was the younger generation was all for it as they are the ones using the service versus the older generation who did not support paying more taxes.
What is your biggest pet peeve in a group discussion/meeting with many generations?
Jessica prefaced her comments by saying these pet peeves were not necessarily generational. People responding to new ideas with gut reactions and shutting them down because they don't like change. Also, those people who are over-thinkers who talk about all the "what ifs" versus just doing it.
What communications advice has helped you?
A good friend who advised that whenever she encounters something upsetting, she reverses her thinking to consider how the other person must feel. Then, she gives them the benefit of thinking they probably don't mean it.
She also feels millennials are more subject to the imposter syndrome versus being entitled. Questioning whether they are good enough to be speaking at a grad or industry event. Knowing they have something to offer is good advice.
Do you think you have good communication skills? And, why or why not?
At work, Jessica feels she has good communication skills. She learned a lot through doing her masters and teaching. The teaching provided her with the ability to speak in front of groups. She gets lots of mentoring at Genome BC. She knows who to ask and gets valuable input. She feels able to work well with her current boss as her previous boss provided lots of direction and feedback.
She is always thinking about the perspective of the audience.
From a personal perspective
What book have you read recently? What is a favourite TV/Netflix show?
Like most millennials in this blog series, Jessica likes podcasts. Her favourite genre is true crime. I checked out a few of her faves - Dirty John narrated by journalist Christopher Goffard. This is a highly provocative series and captures your attention. A pathological liar and true crime is not my thing but the way this is presented keeps you glued to the story. Jessica listens while cooking, cleaning or walking her dog. This series was downloaded 10 million times within the first 6 weeks of its release. Another, Someone Knows Something is about cold cases in Canada. Then, there is My Favourite Murder, a true crime comedy podcast. And, there are more! Criminal and Strangers, two anthologies of people sharing their stories.
This was a long ride down a deep bunny hole for me. As an info junkie, I spent way too much time checking out her collection of sources of entertainment. Don't even get me started on Backtalk on Bitch Media - fascinating and thought provoking.
Jessica is avid consumer of Reddit, enjoys reading about business and entrepreneurship. She also has a deep interest in culture, and as she states - not about her own Chinese culture but African American culture.
What do you for extracurricular activities?
Jessica loves the outdoors and hiking. She is also into yoga exercise once a week for the mental clarity. Tap dancing was in there until she hurt her ankle.
Who do you admire for the way they live their life?
From her "work family" she mentions two co-workers who have the uncanny ability to not let things get to them. She admires their ability to stand their ground and not be pushovers. She marvels at one who has three children and a dog, yet never appears stressed.
What are the most important social issues to you?
Living in Vancouver she said it is hard not to care about the housing issues. Environmental sustainability, equality, food security and science literacy all rank high for this millennial.
What technology do you like best for communicating?
While Jessica text messages with friends and is on Instagram and Snapchat, she was quick to point out her friends often put away their phones for the evening. Disconnecting is seen as a value now among her group.
What bores you?
Minute details bug her. She has no patience for people who go on and on saying, "What about this? what about that? Let's just do it.
Where do you volunteer your time and money?
Admirably, Jessica has donated blood 44 times. Wow! I thanked her on behalf of all the people I know who have benefited from blood donations.
What makes you laugh?
Puns, witty and spontaneous humour make her laugh as do the funny and quick British panel shows.
Are there any other thoughts you would like to share about communicating between generations?
Jessica felt people can often underestimate millennials and take them for granted. As they can be incredibly adaptable to changes and technologies, work can appear easy but they still want to be valued for their efforts. And, just because they are pleasant, they don't want that to be defining and a reason to take advantage of them.
Just as we were wrapping up the interview, Jessica stoped me to say how important mental health is among her friends and how they are open about getting counseling and looking after their whole selves. How lovely is that!?
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I had so many wonderful takeaways from Jessica but the one that stopped me in my tracks was the donation of blood. Talk about giving of yourself - forty-four times! She talks about not having much in terms of material things but her convictions and giving nature make her so rich. The more millennials I meet through this blog experiment, the more I am convinced this generation is not so much self absorbed, they are self aware. As Jessica notes, they are keenly interested in their mental health fitness as much as physical well being and that is just plain smart. I am learning a lot through this series and we are only one-third of the way through the year.
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